Issue 91 - What lies beneath?

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What lies beneath?

Jonny McCormick reports on Christie's Paris auction and looks ahead to the year end sales

The WMI value is based on the value of the top 25 distilleries at auction during the past 12 months, but this month we take a look at those distilleries which are ranked from 26-50 (showing the change from the last major auctions in August rather than September). These distilleries still have highly collectable releases that loyal followers keenly track down. Bucking the trend is Kinclaith, the Lowland distillery dismantled in 1975 holds the current highest average price at auction on the WMI, higher than The Macallan or The Dalmore. However, with only a few treasured independent bottlings available, Kinclaith's scarcity at whisky auctions means we are unlikely to see it break into the top 25.

Auction Watch
A quiet month in the auction rooms as we prepare for the exciting sales at the end of the year. Just a clutch of fine single malts passed through Christie's two-day Fine Wine and Spirit Sales in Paris in September.

The auction itself raised €2.8 million and in the spirits section, a bottle of The Macallan 25 Years Old from 1963 made €450 while a bottle of The Macallan 18 Years Old from 1983 fetched €145. A pair of Bowmore 1963 were snapped up for €800, while a Glenmorangie 1963 took €320 and a Glenfarclas distilled in 1961 exceeded its high estimate of €300 peaking at €420. The end result was a small rise in the WMI value with Glenfarclas regaining two places in the rankings up to 20th resulting in Lagavulin and Aberlour falling by a corresponding place ea...